If you suffer from chronic pain, your doctor could prescribe certain CBD products to help with pain relief. These products can also help relieve you from stress and anxiety as well as manage specific cancer-related symptoms.
When buying the CBD products, however, you must know that they’re not made the same. Depending on whether you’re using the products for the first time or the condition you’re treating, there are certain products or concentration levels that may not be right for you.
In this guide, you’ll learn some of the critical factors you probably didn’t know, but you should be aware of before making a purchase decision. You’ll also know a few tricks of discerning a fake or dangerous CBD product from the medically approved ones.
The Regulations in Your State
The Agriculture Act of 2014 legalized the industrial usage and production of hemp in the US. Therefore, it is partly safe to say that it is legal to buy or sell CBD products in most states.
Here’s the catch 22; most states designed their own laws that regulated how CBD can be used or traded. For instance, there are states where medicinal or recreational CBD isn’t legal still.
Therefore, while it sounds ‘legal’ to trade in CBD products, it’s wise that you review the provisions of your state before making a purchase.
The Dosage
There are many health benefits of using CBD that are backed up by science. The cannabis plant however has lots of active compounds that will react with your body in very different ways.
While it won’t give you any intoxication effects, there is a handful of side effects that would occur if you took too much of it. These include; appetite change, fatigue, weight change, and diarrhea, among others.
Therefore if you wish to buy the products for example to improve sleep, manage anxiety or depression, and others, you must work with a certified clinician to help you get the right dosage.
Here are some factors that could influence the amount you should take;
- The CBD concentration.
- Your body weight.
- The condition you wish to treat.
The Brand
Since the legalization of Cannabis, there has been an upsurge of dispensaries that sell CBD and cannabis products online. Because of this, not all CBD products you’ll find out there are of the best qualities.
If you wish to buy CBD products safely; therefore, it’s imperative that you understand what you should be looking for in the product. Here are a few factors you may need to consider because of this.
- A 3rd Party Laboratory should test the products. If the product has been tested, the company should list the lab reports on its website. Either way, the company may provide a careful screening process to ensure the quality of the product. A perfect t example of this screening process is this one that Botanicam is using in verifying the CBD products. This process ensures the quality of the product via a 12-star stamp of approval.
- Online Presence. Apart from the stamp of approval, it is imperative to check and confirm that the company has some online presence. It should have a good reputation and be transparent about their products.
The Variation
CBD is available is very many forms. Usually, you’ll find them in the form of vape oil, gummies, capsules, and topicals, among others.
Most CBD users prefer CBD oil because it’s easy to infuse it with other products for easy ingestion. Besides, it also has a near-instant impact when you spray them under your tongue.
If you don’t wish to take them orally, the ointments are a worthwhile option to consider. For this option, you’ll be applying the CBD oil ointment on your skin to help with pain management and scarring, among others.
The Price
It is usual for prices to vary considerably between brands, but it pays to be keen about the pricing variation. To avoid fraud, it’s prudent that you only purchase from companies that display all the prices with no hidden fees.
Be wary of brands that trade in very cheap CBD products since some of them may not meet the legal or medical standards. Apart from that, if you’re not sure, do quick background research of the market prices and know the average pricing. From this, you can narrow down to individual brands that you can trust.
The Source and Method of Extracting the Hemp
When shopping for hemp, it is recommendable that you insist on organic hemp. You don’t want to get edibles that are jam-packed with chemicals.
The hemp you wish to purchase should, therefore, be sourced just from a reputable grower. It is also essential to stick to the FDA guidelines, which states that you should only buy hemp that’s grown in America.
Finally, the method of extracting CBD from the hemp plant isn’t a simple one. It demands a lot, and the best quality you can get is one that’s extracted via the ‘supercritical CO2 extraction.
Be wary of unlicensed vendors who use sub-standard processes when extracting the products. This is mainly vital because if the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the compound that brings the intoxication in CBD, is high, the effects could not be very nice. On the same note, if CBD is less than the required levels, it could not help with the relief that is needed.
CBD Could Show Up in Your Drug Tests
If used alone, CBD won’t make you fail the drug tests, but if THC is high, it might show up on the drug tests. To avoid such nasty surprises, be sure to check the product label and review the chemicals that are listed other than the CBD.
A reputed company will list the THC content on the products. It may also state that the THC content is below the standard 0.3 percent limit.
The Bottom Line
CBD is still a new product in the market, and many studies and trials are still being conducted on how to use it. Because of this, there are situations when it may not be recommendable to use the products.
For example, you should not ingest these products if you are on drugs that the CYP450 enzyme affects. To avoid any complications, seek an expert’s advice first before using the products.
